Reviews – Page 407 – Get In Her Ears

EP: Gravey – ‘Who’s Yer Daddy?’

South London band Gravey’s debut EP Who’s Yer Daddy, is all gravy, baby. I know that sounds cheap, but I had to and it is. This is a band that know their way around how a song should be, with tight bass openings and gravelled vocals that puts all forebears to shame.

Delicious guitar licks put an extra finesse on three tracks that may very well be one of indie London’s sounds of the future. As broad a spectrum as that is, Gravey slides (un)comfortably into the category of the impossible to define. The vocals roar, the guitar soars, and the layers of music meld as they should.

Each listen is better than the last, and band members Soraya Fernandez, Nick White, Sian Bride and Andrea Adriano have done wonders turning their self-proclaimed slutpunk into punk rock with soul. Adriano and White are also responsible for the incredibly neat production.

Every track on the EP has a different message, with the lyrical standout Community Health taking on the mental health crisis with the ever-true statement: “It’s another class war.” On the other hand, ‘Enlighten Me’ is an intergalactic love song (isn’t love intergalactic in and of itself?) and opening banger ‘Self Esteem’ is about loving yourself.

I’m still working on that personally, but what I can say for sure is I love this EP. The esteem can come later, hopefully dripping with that smooth marriage of wah-wah whammy guitar, bass, drums, and steaming hot vocals like that of Gravey… Baby.

Who’s Yer Daddy is out now. Stream it on Spotify and buy on Bandcamp.

Em Burfitt
@fenderqueer

September 5, 2018September 6, 2018

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Track Of The Day: Evvol – ‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’

If you’re looking for “bright pop songs” with a “darker tone underneath the surface” – Evvol are the band you’re looking for. Comprised of Julie Chance and Jane Arnison, the Berlin-based duo take their exasperation at the state of the world and turn it in to well-crafted electronic melodies.

‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’ is one of four tracks that were written to playfully address the serious dilemmas of contemporary life, and the band’s sheer resentment for the residual status quo. The other three songs – ‘Release Me’, ‘Oceania’ and ‘New Old’ – are equally as bitter sweet as this new offering. Speaking of the collection of songs, the band have said: “These songs were written looking inwardly at how we cope when faced with challenges. They’re about escaping into hedonism and really just running from the mad, fucked up world we live in.”

At the end of 2016, the pair worked on an experimental piece commissioned for Berlin’s Pop-Kultur Festival, performing an immersive sound and visual performance and installation called ‘Human Resonance’. If their video for ‘Song For The Broken Hearted (Rollin)’ is anything to go by, it must have been a sublime artistic experience. Watch the visuals for the new track below and follow Evvol on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

September 4, 2018

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Track Of The Day: Fightmilk – ‘Four Star Hotel’

Following utterly infectious offerings such as ‘Pity Party’ and ‘Bank Of Mum And Dad’, GIHE faves Fightmilk have now signed to Reckless Yes and released their truly fantastic debut album Not With That Attitude.

Taken from the album, new single ‘Four Star Hotel’ explores the end of band members Alex Wisgard and Lily Rae’s respective relationships. A scuzzy, sparkling anti-love songs spiced with a tongue in cheek wit and refreshing cynicism (“a four star hotel, we still didn’t fuck…”), the track turns the usual romantic vision of trips to Amsterdam on its head. Of the track, Alex explains: “… almost every line is based on one of our two true stories, from the shit-eating grins in the holiday photographs to having to push two twin beds together in a hotel room.”

Filled with jangly riffs and Lily’s silky smooth vocals, true to Fightmilk form, it’s an immensely catchy, instant smile-inducing slice of luscious punk-infused indie-pop at its finest.

Not With That Attitude is out now via Reckless Yes. Catch Fightmilk live at their launch show on 2nd November at The Shaklewell Arms. Or, live at The Finsbury for yours truly on 14th December!

Mari Lane
@marimindles

September 3, 2018September 3, 2018

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ALBUM: The Menstrual Cramps – ‘Free Bleedin’

Raw, righteous, and a rallying cry against pervasive capitalist and patriarchal oppression: The Menstrual Cramps‘ sophomore album Free Bleedin’ drips with irrepressible anarchy and wit. Following 2017’s excellently named debut We’re Not Ovaryacting, the four-piece have returned with fourteen new tracks that systematically strip away the hateful forces that threaten to hold these riot grrrls back.

Front-woman Emilia has a vocal range that ricochets between dangerous, disinterested, screeching and savage. From opening track ‘Boycott The Lot’, she begins calling out corporations including The Sun, Amazon, and the dairy industry; whilst urging listeners to avoid all interaction with these dishonest establishments. She’s backed by the formidable Cooper Rose on guitar, as well as the equally formidable rhythm section comprised of drummer Beth and bassist Robyn.

Intelligence and piss-taking combine in memorable style on second track ‘The Smash’, which calls for a political and personal revolution amidst lyrics such as “Theresa May don’t even masturbate”. The girls continue their take down on following track ‘Neo Nazi’, which acts as a warning and a defiant middle finger to any fans of punk music who confuse the genre with outdated, fascist ideals. As Emilia so aptly says: “Nazi cunts need to disappear” – and we couldn’t agree more.

Up next on The Menstrual Cramps’ “bullshit we shouldn’t have to address, but will do anyway” list is toxic masculinity. On ‘Boyz Will Be Boyz’, the girls urge men to take responsibility for sexual assault and “do something about it”, instead of hiding behind the all-to-familiar saying and remaining complacent. What follows is an unorthodox and unexpected ode to long-haired, liberal lads and lasses. On the pop-ier sounding ‘Long Haired Babe’, Emilia delightfully declares “guys with long hair make me scream, guys with long hair make me cream”. That’s the great thing about this record: one minute you want to punch a hole through a patriarchal wall, and the next you just want to lay back and show yourself some sweet self-love.

Cue next track, ‘Mutual Masturbation’. It’s as fabulous and filthy as it sounds; celebratory (guitar) strums and raucous percussion combine with Emilia’s lyrics about defying shame and spending some time on yourself. The girls dial up the sarcasm on ‘I Like That Top’, a track which laments the comments made by dull housemates who insist on making passive aggressive remarks about your lifestyle and fashion sense. The band switch back to full on assault mode on ‘Idols’, calling out the inadequacies of the biggest icons in the industry and stripping them of their God-like status. It’s eye-opening and entertaining in equal measure, with trademark Menstrual Cramps bite.

Guitarist Cooper takes lead vocals on the seemingly tender-sounding ‘Tinder Girl’ which tackles a very modern dating dilemma: “I don’t want nothing serious, but I think I want more than this”, before the self-explanatory ‘Tory Scum’ kicks in. It’s a punishing anthem about the policies crippling the working class under Theresa May’s Government. It bleeds in to the aptly named ‘Killin Us’, which shouts back against poor mental health services that have inevitably been affected by Tory budget cuts to the NHS. Things get a bit Orwellian on ‘Phone Hack’, but the severity of the message is made more palatable by a garage-pop-esque rhythm.

Penultimate track ‘No Means No’ challenges male entitlement and bodily autonomy. Emilia’s spoken word style lyrics about consent, rape, and sexual assault make things crystal clear here, and her vicious and wailing delivery of “Nooooooo!” towards the close of the song leaves no room for interpretation. Body positivity is promoted on closing track ‘Bush’ which champions natural hair growth with the simple lyric “let my bush be free!”. Bleedin’ furious, Bleedin’ funny, and Bleedin’ eye opening; The Menstrual Cramps latest record provides the perfect soundtrack for any feminist activist to rage and recover to.